In-Betweens
by Yaushibee
Summary: Because a lot or a little can happen between fighting evil, hunting Wu, and correcting Omi's messed up idioms. RaiKim. 25 word prompts challenge. Mostly set mid and post series.


Normally it was Omi who would get separated from the group whenever they were in a large city. Last time turned out not to be so bad, as they were able to meet Jermaine and collect the Serpents Tail, but that was beside the point.

Right now though, it was Kimiko who was lost.

They were on a hunt for their illustrious Wu of the Day: the Mask of Rio. Its ability was to help the user blend into their surroundings. Unfortunately, this also meant it was near impossible to find and even with Dojo trying his best, he couldn't pinpoint the Mask's exact location. This is what lead to the warriors splitting up to search. They had stuck fairly close to each other at first, Clay especially keeping an eye on Omi just in case, but they were in New Orleans and it was Mardi Gras. It didn't take long before the crowds separated them, or maybe it was just her, from each other. By the time she even noticed, none of the others were in sight. It was just her luck that she had also left her phone back at the temple earlier.

Kimiko stopped her aimless wandering to pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh. She couldn't believe after so many mishaps with Omi and being in as busy of a city that they were in today, that they hadn't decided on some place to all gather should something happen. With another sigh, she made a mental note to keep that idea in mind for future Shen Gong Wu hunts and returned her focus to getting back to the others. She assessed the area she was standing in, hoping to find something to help her.

All around her were citizen and tourists, sporting clothes of rich greens, purples, and gold. Many of them had decorative masks on—none of them the one she was looking for, unfortunately—and chunky bead jewelry rung around their necks. And the people weren't the only ones decked out for the celebration; pretty much the entire city from what she'd seen was decorated with the same colors and confetti seemed to coat the streets and sidewalks like snow after a winters storm. The air was also heavy with the scent of sweets, sweat, alcohol, and spices and no matter where she turned, there was always music playing. It was festive, Kimiko had to admit but it was overwhelming and she was getting a little sick of it.

With nothing in the immediate area striking her as useful, she began walking again. She hoped that by heading south she wasn't bringing herself further away from the others. It was better than just standing around doing nothing, she figured. And she hated doing nothing.

As Kimiko went, her mood continued to deter and she was feeling less and less impressed by the festivities. Most of the people she encountered was either already tipsy from drinking, half naked and covered in feathers, or practically trying to drown her in more beaded necklaces. After this was over she vowed never to leave her phone behind again.

Finally, by some saving grace, she spotted an empty bench up ahead and Kimiko decided to use this chance to take a break. She also vowed to burn the pair of boot she was wearing later. They were stylish, sure, but probably the most uncomfortable pair she'd ever worn. At least they'd been on sale when she bought them.

While she rested, her mind wandered to Rai, Omi, Clay, and Dojo. It was highly possible they were lost from each other as well, though she certainly hoped not. It would just make things that much more complicated and drawn out.

"Maybe Jack will get to the Wu at the same time as one of the others and make something explode." She thought hopefully, then frowned at the idea.

Spicer had recently upgraded his bots and they weren't as easy to take out as before. If Jack had a horde of them like the last time they faced off, one Xiaolin Warrior would not be enough to take them all down. Not in time to get to the Wu, in any case.

Kimiko felt useless all of a sudden. The others were off finding the Wu and possibly fighting Jack-Bots up the wazoo. They could even be in the middle of a Showdown for all she knew! But here she was, completely lost and sitting on a bench feeling sorry for her aching feet. If there was something she hated more than doing nothing, it was feeling useless.

She was ready to cry out in frustration at herself and her situation when a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder. She nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise, quickly whipping her head around to see who had dared touch her. She visibly relaxed when she recognized the Dragon of Wind standing there instead of some stranger like she had been expecting.

"There you are, Kimiko." Raimundo said breathlessly, relief showing in both his voice and his expression. He moved from behind the bench to sit beside her, leaning back on it with an exhausted huff. "We searched everywhere for you."

She instantly opened her mouth to make a snappy retort. She was still frustrated and it wasn't her fault the Mask of Rio had to go active on the busiest day this city ever saw! But then she noticed how tired he looked. How hard had he been searching for her? Definitely harder than she had been looking for them. Instead of a snapping back at him, she gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry." She said sincerely, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Where are the others?"

Raimundo took a second to sit up straight before replying. "On Dojo. They figured an aerial view might help us locate you."

"Dojo is flying in the middle of the city?!" Kimiko felt a spike of panic. She leaves these idiots alone for one second—

"Relax! He'll just look like a parade balloon." Raimundo said and when she didn't look convinced he added, "Everyone in the city is pretty much drunk off their gourd for Mardi Gras. Even if they did see, I doubt they'd remember clearly enough for it to be a problem."

Kimiko sighed but nodded her head. He had a point.

"What about the Wu?"

"Omi found it." Raimundo answered. "He got distracted by a stand selling masks and one of them happened to be the Mask of Rio."

"No Showdown?"

"Nope." Raimundo shrugged. He then stood up from the bench, offering his hand to help her up. Normally she would have brushed it off but her feet were killing her and honestly, she didn't think she could stand on her own right now. So she accepted his hand and he hauled her up. Right after that would usually be the time when he'd let go, however his grip stayed even as he turned to begin tugging her towards the harbor.

"Uh, Rai?"

He didn't look back as they waded through a large group of people.

"Rai." Kimiko repeated. When he didn't respond, she tried again, wiggling her fingers as she did so. "You can let go of my hand any time, you know."

This time he glanced over his shoulder at her. "I'm not gonna take the chance of losing you again."

Something about the way he said it, his tone uncharacteristically serious or maybe it had been how he phrased it, made her cheeks flare up in a blush. Thankfully, he had faced forward again to watch where they were going and missed her reaction.

She still didn't like this arrangement though.

"Fine." Kimiko consented and he looked back at her again, almost surprised. "But I don't care for being dragged along like this." She stopped walking, pulling her hand free from his grip. Raimundo was about to protest when she reached for his other hand and held it firmly with hers. This way they could walk side by side, rather than her just being pulled behind him. He raised a brow at the new arrangement but he looked awfully pleased regardless.

Content herself, Kimiko cleared her throat and said, "Now, let's find ourselves a very life-like dragon parade balloon and get out of here. I'm going to have at least twenty texts and missed calls on my phone when we get back which is already bad enough but if I see another person dressed in only feathers, I'll scream."

Raimundo grinned. "I'll take it you saw the guy with green and purple feathers literally glued to his skin too?" Kimiko groaned loudly in response, making him laugh. "I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

I used to watch Xiaolin Showdown as a kid though I never got too into it. Recently I rewatched the series however and fell hard not only for the whole show but for the RaiKim ship as well. I hope to do more drabbles/short fics of these two based on a 25 word prompt list so stay tuned.

Oh, and in case anyone is curious, the Mask of Rio another of the TGC Wu that never appeared in the show. I went with them being in New Orleans after discovering the Wu and thought the city would be fitting for both the Mask and the prompt I had.


End file.
